The Problem with Your Friends
by ShadowJackal35
Summary: -is that they get the craziest ideas when it comes to helping you. With an eccentric time traveling spirit and her partner as your 'best friend', passing a simple history test on the Sengoku Era should be a piece of cake. That is, until a centuries old mystery surrounding said friend starts unraveling before your very eyes. Who can you trust now? Sengoku BASARA CastXReader
1. Chapter One: Jackal

**The Problem with Friends**

**Chapter One: Jackal**

_Dear __Your name__-chan,_

_It's been a long time since I've last contacted you, hasn't it? I'm doing well thanks, and I've just made it to B College. How about you? Are you doing well at S College? I hope so… I'm sorry things have been so hectic and I haven't been able to talk much, but anyways, I hope we can get together soon… Ah, well, I'm free next week if you want to meet again, so let's get together soon, alright?_

_-Anna_

This was the first letter you have received from Anna in a long time… Ha, Anna, that's right, she actually goes by a different name now, though she must have signed "Anna" just for you.

Alright, so by now I bet you're wondering, uh…What the hell is going on right now?

Ha ha, well, just let me explain this to you through _my_ letter… I'll do it through story, since I seem to be so good at that. Alright, now where to begin? Our story starts just over a year ago, when we were both seniors at the local D High School.

* * *

Somewhere… Far, far away… In a parallel universe…

Ha, I'm just messing with ya, we're actually in modern Japan. Nowhere special, really, and you were being chewed out yet again by your best friend, Jackal… Otherwise known as me! Or… Uh… Well, really, you were being chewed out by Anna, the 'me' you knew at that time. I was just a bystander who you knew and yet didn't know at the same time. You haven't really met _me _yet.

_I'm _Jackal, _she's _Anna.

Confused already? Good, that'll keep things interesting.

So who am I? Well, Anna calls me 'Jackal', but you can really call me anything you want because in all honesty, I don't have a name. I mean, I'm really just a random blob of a spirit who's lost her memory and who'd decided to party in some teenager's body for who knows how long, but anyways, let's just say we're both your best friend.

Even though you don't know me, thus far.

I'm still babbling about stuff you don't understand yet, aren't I? Sorry, sorry, I promise I'll explain some more stuff as my… Er… _Your _story progresses, so let's continue, shall we?

Anyways, to shorten this up, I'm pretty much your best friend and we've known each other since Anna came out of her coma a few years back, just before high school. What, you've forgotten _that _too? Well shame on you! Ah, sorry… I forget that it's not your fault that you've forgotten all this stuff… Argh, this is all so difficult to explain, especially through a shitty letter like this!

… Let's just continue on!

Anyways, where was I? Oh yes, you were being admonished by Anna again because you failed another history test, your tenth in a row. A world record, I must say.

So she was scolding you yet again for not studying properly while I was laughing from the darker corners of Anna's mind. Like I said, I was just an innocent bystander then.

You're a smart girl. Really, you are, but sometimes even the simplest of questions can prove a problem. Especially when it comes to history.

That year, our class was working on the Sengoku period unit and you totally sucked when it came to names and remembering battles and such, which is why you've failed so often. For some reason, all these facts and things just weren't sinking in, and it didn't help that everything modern Japan knows about the Sengoku Era is totally _wrong_. I mean, seriously, our scholars know absolutely nothing about the _real_ Sengoku Era, but either way, you still weren't getting it.

It was just another day at Anna's and my apartment, and it wasn't getting any better for you.

You sighed in annoyance and whined, "_Come on_, Anna-chan, just give it up already. I suck at history, alright?"

Anna shook her head stubbornly and said, "No. Don't give up so quickly, I'll help you study this, okay?"

You sighed and threw yourself backward onto her bed. I snickered and Anna sent a mental glare to shut me up, as if you could actually hear me. She tapped on the white pendant we wear to keep my power in check and then sighed again, saying, "Have faith in yourself your name –chan, I'll help you with this, alright?" She flipped through the history book in front of her thoughtfully.

You didn't answer and Anna sighed again. Finally she said, "What if I said I could actually bring one of the Sengoku Era daimyos to you?" I looked at her incredulously and she continued, "Do you think that would help you?"

You snorted and rolled onto your side to face the wall, "Yeah it would help, but that's crazy talk Anna-chan. Time travel doesn't exist."

"Oh…" Anna said, sharing another mental glance at me. I grinned, ooh, she's actually _willing_ to use our power for once? Hm… This could be interesting. "I guess you're right." She smiled secretly and I knew.

Time to go back to the Sengoku Period. Holy shit, that's awesome! I can't wait to see my Kojuro again! Hm, just thinking about it got me excited~.

* * *

"Is that everything?" Anna asked a few days later, biting her lip as she studied our circle. She tied our white coat tighter around our waist and I grimaced. She's always doing that, it's so annoying… I mean, we wear a revealing costume to show off our great body in the first place right? So why the hell does she keep trying to hide it?

I studied it as well and then nodded, "Yup, it should be." Anna wiped our forehead with the back of our hand and I hid my smirk. Yup, that should be everything… If _you_ wanted to go to the Sengoku period with other people, not if you wanted to bring someone back from that time and _especially_ not if you wanted to go just by yourself.

Anna's smart, and she's learned all my tricks in the short time we've been aware of each other, but even she's unable to tell the difference between certain Time Perception Circles. Plus, it doesn't help that even the most minor of mistakes can prove a problem when traveling to certain times. But hey, that's A-Okay with me.

The sooner we get out of her time, the sooner I can take control of her- _Our_ body.

"Here it goes then," Anna got on her knees and started the hand patterns. Because she didn't know that she had created the wrong circle, and you were still in the room with us, fast asleep, yeah, but here, that's just enough for you to travel back in time.

We're going to the Sengoku Period, and _you're_ coming with us.

When she drew her katana and slashed a quick cross in the air, the familiar blue and white light filled the room and I smiled. Time to go to the time I know best.

* * *

We woke up what seemed hours later with a groan. I shook my head and looked around, and the familiar green landscape of Oshu met my gaze. Success!

We made it to the Sengoku period~ I pulled out a tiny firework from the pocket of my white trench coat and lit it with my forefinger. I watched it make a small explosion in the afternoon sky. Hm... Now where might that hot-headed daimyo be?... I sheathed the katana back in its scabbard tied horizontal just above my waist on my back.

"_Jackal!_" Anna yelled at me from the pendant we wore, now black and signifying that Anna's power was under control, instead of mine. _"What's going on? I thought you said that was the correct circle to bring people __to__ us, not us to them, and especially not with __her__!"_

Ah… She already noticed that you were with us, that's too bad. I smirked and grasped the pendant by the cord, looking into it and saying, "Sorry Anna, guess I was wrong. Please accept my _sincerest _of apologies."

"_Jackaaaal!" _Anna yelled and I dropped the pendant into our coat pocket.

I really am sorry but… It's so unfair! Anna refuses to give me any control when we're in her time, so why should I give her any in mine? Plus, it's been over a month since we last came here, so of course I'm bored out of her/my/whatever's mind! I need time to play too!

I shook my head, _I'll make it up to you later, _I told Anna, but she refused to reply. Well let her sulk then. I'm gonna have my freedom here. It's my turn.

I glanced behind me when I heard a groan. Looks like you're finally waking up. Wait until you see where we are. I walked over to you as you pushed yourself onto your knees. You groaned again and then rubbed the back of your head. You finally looked around and your eyes widened as you began to panic, asking quickly, "A-Anna-chan, _where are we_?"

I smirked, tying Anna's long black hair into a high ponytail and then saying, "Sorry _Princess_, but my name is Jackal, and we're in the Sengoku Period."

* * *

A/N: Well here we are! I finally worked up the motivation to do a Sengoku BASARA Cast X Reader thing. Maaan, it's so difficult; I hate having to write 'you' all the time! I was originally thinking about making this a Date MasamuneXReader, but in the end I was like, "No, why should I limit it to just one character when we've got an entire cast to mess with?" And so, this series was born.

It'll probably center a relationship mostly between you and Date, but like I said, it won't be limited. It may stray around.

Also, I introduced myself as a character. ... Myself and Anna, of course.

Now that I'm out of story bounds, how shall I explain 'Anna and Jackal'? ... Alright, yes, Anna and Jackal are 'real' characters. Meaning, I use them in real life just as much as I do in my drawings or stories. They are... My personality personified – self-insert characters.

Because she's most similar to me, 'Anna' gets my nickname. She is usually used to personify my lighter emotions, or, the less harsh ones at least. She's quiet, distant, and sometimes a little apathetic when it comes to people's feelings. She usually comes off as cold or emotionless, but she's also more known to show child-like interests in stuffed animals and such, and shows more sympathy to people when required.

Jackal is a different story. The complete opposite of Anna and the side you usually 'see' when I write these author's notes. She's wild and brash, but can also be somewhat apathetic, though not in the same way Anna is. She's usually loud and cheerful, but she's also harsh and can be somewhat cruel, purposely. To put it simply, Jackal is a bit of a bitch.

Anyways, that's about all I can say without giving too many spoilers.

I will work hard on this series, and I hope you keep an eye out for the next chapter.

- Jackal

(Ha... It's so difficult to explain Anna and Jackal without giving too much away. I barely know them myself.)


	2. Chapter Two: Anna

**Chapter Two: Anna**

That damned Jackal! She tricked me again! I knew that Time Perception Circle looked weird, but I couldn't place the problem, and now here we are in the Sengoku Period. And here I am, trapped inside my own body.

… Let me guess, Jackal hasn't explained to you at all how our powers work, right? She thought you'd already know I'm sure. Hmph, typical… Well then let _me_ explain this time.

Although it's _my _body, when we travel to the Sengoku time period Jackal gets more of an advantage because it's her time originally, and has more ability to force my sub-conscious out, therefore allowing her to take control. Now it's my turn to fight against her.

I concentrated on getting control back by forcing my energies through, but I could feel Jackal resisting. The way we fight for control is somewhat similar to fighting against bound ropes. Your arms and legs are tied tightly, and the only way of getting out of it is by worming around until it loosens, and it seems that this time Jackal has an especially tight hold over me, so that means she really doesn't want to lose control. I suppose I should be glad that she isn't trying to force me to sleep...

That's another thing we can do, if we're feeling particularly strong, one can force the other to 'sleep' and for the one who does it's like we've been drugged. You can't see or hear what's going on, and it's similar to sleeping, so numerous things could pass by without the sleeping one even aware of it.

I sighed and finally channeled my energy through our senses so I could see and hear what was going on instead. I wasn't going to get out of this anytime soon, so I might as well not even try. At least, not right now.

Although she hid the pendant we wore, unless she forced me to sleep, Jackal is unable to stop me from following what's going on. The pendant only makes it more difficult for one or the other to fight back and for outsiders to hear the captured speak. Even though you wouldn't be able to hear me, I can still hear you.

I watched as Jackal walked closer to you as you started waking up, and she pulled our hair into a ponytail.

That's probably the biggest give away that it's her and not me in control, she always ties our hair up. I guess it makes sense, since we're in the warring times of Japan, but still, I hate when she does that. She probably does it just for that reason.

She shook her head to make sure it was secure as you asked, "The Sengoku period? Anna-chan, what do you mean? I thought you said time travel was impossible."

Jackal sighed as she knelt on her knee and gripped your chin, peering into your face and you gasped, "I told you Princess, my name is Jackal, and only _you_ said time travel was impossible. Anna only acknowledged the impossibility, not agreed."

"Th-then, can you travel to other times?" you asked and Jackal smirked.

"No… Only during the times I was around, and that was here." Jackal pulled away when she heard the pounding of hoof beats and she muttered, "Looks like they're here, they're faster than I expected. Must be Kojuro's doing..."

She walked away to face the oncoming noise and crossed her arms. You joined her and tried peering into Jackal's face again. "So…" You asked slowly, "Are you and Anna-chan… Like, bi-polar or something?"

Jackal grinned and said, "I guess you can think about it in that sense, though it's somewhat more complicated than that."

"How so?" you asked curiously.

"Mm…" Jackal looked up at the sky as she thought, another difference between us. When I think, I might look down at the ground but when she thinks, she looks up. "_Hey Anna, help me out here. I don't know how to describe this."_

"_Well don't ask me," _I replied, _"You're the one who shut me off."_

"_If I allow you to speak, will you make sure not to make me look like the bad guy?" _Jackal asked suspiciously and I rolled my eyes.

"_Of course I won't make sure, only because you always do the same to me." _Jackal laughed and finally pulled our necklace out, holding it out to you and saying, "This… This is Anna right now."

You peered into the necklace and quirked an eyebrow up questioningly.

Jackal answered, "There's only one body. Anna's, but there are two of us, so she and I have to share it. Whenever one loses control, she's forced into the back of our minds and the only way for her to speak with the outside world is through this."

"So… Anna-chan is inside there?" you asked.

I said, "No, but you can hear me through this."

You jumped back in surprise and Jackal laughed, "No need to be so surprised. It's Anna."

"S-sorry," you said, recovering quickly, "It's just… This is so weird… I must be dreaming or something."

You laughed nervously and Jackal rolled her eyes, "Sure," she said, "Think about it however you need to understand it, because no matter what you think, it doesn't change the fact that we're here."

"The thing you need to realize your name-chan, is that there are more things possible in the world than you expected," I said softly.

"Like what?" you asked nervously, but before I could answer, someone yelled, "Yo, Anna-chan!"

A young man wearing a helmet with a golden crescent moon was riding forward and nearing quickly. His right hand man was following just behind him and Jackal grinned, turning towards the sound.

"Hey," she called, smiling innocently and taking a running step forward, "ass hole!" she yelled, crashing a foot into the speaker's face. The force of her kick threw him backwards off his horse and he landed painfully on his back, his helmet flying off and rolling to the side.

"**_Shit_**, you're Jackal, aren't you?" Date Masamune rubbed a hand over his face with a groan and Jackal grinned cattily.

"Yup, of course it is, after all, this is my time to shine."

Masamune recovered as Katakura Kojuro sighed and dismounted and asked, "Jackal-san, must you feel the need to kick him every time you see him?"

Jackal laughed and said, "Of course it is Kojuro, it's my basic greeting. I mean, what else would you expect? Only a softie like Anna would be satisfied with just pleasantries."

I sighed and said, "Shut up Jackal. I mean, if you're going to act like this all the time, you'll never earn Kojuro-kun's affection."

She patted our pendant and then said, "Okay, that's enough out of you." She placed it back into the pocket of our coat and I sighed again.

She turned to Kojuro and she held out her hands to him expectantly, saying simply, "Kojuro, if you please." He reached into the side bag on his horse and handed her her pistols, custom made Beretta M9's that we had brought during one of our other trips here.

She keeps all our weapons, except for our katana, in this time period. In fact, a whole chest of them waited for us back at Oshu headquarters and even around the other territories.

She rubbed her cheek against them lovingly and said, "Ah, it's good to have my babies back~ I can never really use them except in this time. Thanks for keeping them safe Kojuro." She slipped them into the holsters on the sides of our waist and Kojuro handed her a different, slightly smaller pair.

She placed these into the side holsters strapped to our thighs and patted them, grinning and saying, "Now I feel complete."

"Yo, Jackal, I think someone followed you here," Masamune said, finally recovering forom his face wound and dipping his towards you.

You blushed and Jackal grinned, "Nope, I brought her back. Everyone, this is your last name, your first name, a classmate of Anna's from her time. Princess? This is Date Masamune and Katakura Kojuro."

"D-Date Masamune?" you stuttered as he studied you, "The daimyo of Oshu?"

Jackal grinned, "None other." She slapped him hard on the back and he grimaced.

"I can see why she'd be the type to be friends with Anna, but why in the world is she putting up with you?" He asked, teasing her.

Jackal glared and said, "Well, Anna happens to be the very likeness of Oda Nobunaga when it comes to control in her time, so I don't really get that much time for Princess to talk to me. I pretty much don't get any time to play when we're in her time so this is really the first she's seen of me… Though maybe that's better, I'm too cool for them all anyways," She snickered and I rolled my eyes.

_Really, Jackal…_

I could see Kojuro laugh silently from the corner of my eye and I smiled.

"So," Masamune said with a grin, "Do you have a boyfriend perhaps?"

You blushed and Jackal scowled, "You're a real ass, you know that?"

He shrugged, "Have to get them while I can. How old is she anyways?"

"I turned seventeen this year…" You mumbled and he grinned, wrapping an arm around your shoulders.

"Perfect."

"You letch!" Jackal yelled, kicking him. He blocked it but the force of the kick pushed him farther away.

I sighed, "_Honestly Jackal, do you have to be so violent?"_

"_Well that's what I am right? The embodiment of your most violent side."_

I shook my head, she can really be a handful sometimes.

"Anyways," Jackal said casually, "I'm dead tired from the trip and I think Princess needs some more help understanding the situation, so let's hurry up and go home."

"I thought you didn't consider anywhere your home," Masamune said in an amused tone, mounting his horse.

Kojuro did the same and Jackal helped herself up behind him and mumbled, "No but… It's more of a home than I've ever had..." She wrapped her arms around Kojuro's waist and I heard him sigh. He's still as loyal to me as ever. I kind of smirked in satisfaction…

Jackal looked back to you but you remained standing where you were mutely, looking down at the ground, "Yo, Princess, come on, or we'll leave you behind."

You still wouldn't budge and Jackal sighed, hopping off Kojuro's horse and placing a hand on your shoulder. "Princess? You alright? I know time travel can be a bit of a shock to outsiders, but you'll get better if you eat something. Okay? I'll explain everything later. I promise."

Finally you looked up and with a determined look in your eye you grabbed her hand with an iron grip, then twisted it around her back and grabbed the pistol from her leg. You pointed it to her head and then shouted, "_What's going on_?!"

* * *

A/N: Hm... A good question, what _is_ going on? You'll find out in the next chapter.

I don't have much to say for this chapter, other than we'll be continuing on like this, alternating between Anna and Jackal's perspectives etc. but other than that, this author's note is very short.

I don't have any followers yet, but I hope in the future this'll get a little more popular when more questions are answered and it becomes less confusing, but if you're reading this now, I thank you! I hope you read the next chapter when it comes out.

Thank you!

- Jackal


	3. Chapter Three: Jackal

**Chapter Three: Jackal**

I sighed as you pressed the gun to my head and shouted, "_What's going on_?!"

"Jackal-san…" Kojuro said warningly and I held my hand up to quiet him, shaking my head.

I turned my head to look at you through the corner of my eye and said, "Look, we're both equally tired right now so why don't you," I pivoted quickly, causing your weight to move forward, and threw you to the ground. You landed forward and had to use your arms to catch yourself but I placed a foot on your back, "Quit with the games?"

You glared at me and I only smirked back, "You want answers, right?"

You nodded.

I sighed, "Fine, ask me a few questions now and I'll answer them as best as I can. Choose wisely though, because I'll only allow three. After that, I'm going to Masamune's manor and resting, with or without you. Bringing you back here was harder than I expected. Deal?" Actually, it was _a lot_ harder than I expected.

It was as if your soul had been resisting me…

You looked away as you thought and said, "Okay, deal."

"Then ask away," I said simply, letting go of you. _"You don't mind, right Anna?"_

She sighed and said quietly, _"Well I do but… We at least owe her a few answers for bringing her here unwillingly."_

"_Cool."_

"_But if she asks about me, can you do the explaining for me? I don't think I can handle it…"_

"_Sure Anna, whatever you want."_

Kojuro and Masamune both dismounted again with a sigh and we all headed for cover under some trees. I leaned on the trunk of one as you hugged your knees. Masamune lay down on his back to watch the sky and Kojuro sat calmly next to him.

You pushed my gun towards me and I shook my head, "Keep it. You may need it later. I have spares anyways."

You quirked an eyebrow up questioningly but finally asked, "Okay, my first question… How did you end up in Anna-chan's body?"

I looked up at the sky as I thought for a moment, then replied, "Well… Let's see… That's kind of hard to answer because we've been stuck together for so long, but I can tell you when she finally became aware of me. It was about four or five years ago, during her first year of college for the second time-"

"Wait_, first _year of college? For a second time?" you asked incredulously, "But how is that possible? She's a senior in high school now, how could she have gone to college already?"

I laughed and said, "That should count as your second question. Anyways… the thing is that because I have control over time, after a certain age, I can reverse the way her body ages. She found that out after she graduated college for the first time, so I guess when she was twenty-one?

"Anyways, one day she just woke up and saw herself as a fifteen-year old again… By that point, she knew she had a weird time-related power, she just wasn't sure why, but anyways… She had to repeat her high school life again."

"And no one recognized her as a previous student?" you asked cynically.

"Ah… Well…" I paused, trying to remember, "She did have to make _some_ changes with her appearance and changed her name slightly, but otherwise yeah, no one recognized her. Even during her first year though, she always did make a point of staying unnoticed." I looked off into the distance solicitously and said, "Yeah… She tried so hard to stay out of everyone's notice…"

"And she became aware of you…?" you asked, prompting me to continue.

"Oh, right. Well, she dropped out of college during her first year the second time through because she realized that at some point her body would start reversing again and eventually… she decided to commit suicide."

"Commit… Suicide?" You asked slowly.

I nodded as Masamune grunted and Kojuro sighed. I could feel Anna shift uncomfortably in the back of our mind and I think she shut herself off from our senses then. "It was… A confusing time for her. I mean, wouldn't you be afraid if you couldn't age past a certain point? She was watching all her friends and classmates grow up and move on without her for a second time in a row…"

"But why is it after she turned twenty-one? Or…" you paused as you did the math in your head, "After every six years?"

I shrugged, "I'm not really sure, but I think it's because that's how old I might have been when I died. If it wasn't that, then it was probably some important time in my life, I can't remember."

"Died? But you can't be dead, you're here."

I laughed and said, "I think we exceeded the three question limit by now." You glared and I sighed, continuing, "Like I said… I don't know why it happens and I have no control over it… But anyways, Anna threw herself into an oncoming car."

"But she didn't die?"

"She didn't die. Or more like, she couldn't die. That's another thing with this weird time power… We can't die. We can't really get hurt for that matter either, unless you really work at it."

"What… Do you mean you can't get hurt?"

I pulled off my coat and turned my back to you, so you could see my back, or at least the parts that wasn't covered by my black shirt, which is really nothing more than a wide strip of cloth across my chest. "Watch closely," I said simply, unsheathing Anna's katana.

I held my wrist up and pushed down the black band so you could see, then dragged the katana across it. It cut my skin effortlessly and I winced slightly as you gasped. "Jackal, cut that out, that's gross!"

"Just watch." I said again. A few moments passed in a tense silence until a soft black light on my back began to glow. An intricate circle appeared and the cut on my wrist closed up smoothly. As soon as it was healed the design on my back faded away and a thin line of blood was all that was left on my wrist.

I pulled my coat back on and rubbed the blood off, then turned to you after sheathing the katana again. Your eyes were wide and I couldn't tell whether you were more horrified of the fact that I had cut myself for a demonstration or that it had healed almost instantly.

"What the hell was that?" you whispered in a strangled voice.

I smiled thinly and said, "It's called the Celestial Circle of Revival, and it's a stronger type of Time Perception Circle, the kind I use to travel here. I'm not sure how it works, but somehow it activates when the wearer is in trouble and will automatically reverse time on the body to a point where it was in better condition. Since it's been burned onto my skin, on my original body or whatever, it was transferred with my soul and there's no way of getting it off.

"It's what kept Anna from dying all those times…" I murmured, remembering all her suicide attempts. "She tried other things too, during that year. Cutting herself, jumping off unimaginable heights…

"After her last attempt, she finally triggered something in her mind and it sent her here, to the Sengoku period, where I was finally able to talk to her. Before then I could only really watch from behind her, as we had no bond to connect with up till then.

"When I finally settled some things, Anna began experimenting more… By then, she would have been a sophomore in college again, and since she had already dropped out after her first year, she had plenty of time just to mess around. But… Over two years later she collapsed with exhaustion and fell into a coma because she had traveled too many times without giving her body a break.

"I think she figured that would be the only way to die, to wear her body out to a point of non-existence, but anyways, that's where you come in. Remember? You were doing volunteer work at the hospital she was at. She was in a coma for over nine months, and by then, she had already reached the six year age limit again, so we had already been reversed to a high school freshman."

"But… How old is she really then?"

"Mm…" I thought for a second before answering, "I don't know… I guess about twenty-nine or so? … Actually, she's probably closer to thirty now. I think she tried her suicide attempts at about twenty-five and finally mastered traveling here at twenty-six. I'm guessing this is about our third time through high school, I kind of lost count."

"Twenty-nine…" You repeated, looking away.

"Are you satisfied now?" I asked wearily, stifling a yawn.

"Ah, s-sorry, Jackal… I know you're tired, I'm just…" You looked away as you thought for something to say and I smiled.

"Don't worry… I should have known better than to bring you into all of this, it's just that I got so bored just watching from behind Anna's eyes that I wanted to be free… And since Anna wasn't giving me any control, this was the only way I thought I could have a chance to do anything.

"And besides, she was planning to bring a daimyo over to help you study for our upcoming tests anyways, so I just figured it would be more helpful to bring you to a ton of them instead."

"Hey, Jackal, are you two done yet?" Masamune asked and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. God, you're impatient." He laughed as he stood up with a stretch and Kojuro was already mounting his horse.

I was heading towards Kojuro when you called out, "One more question Jackal."

I looked back at you and asked, "Yeah?"

"Well… This time traveling thing… How come you're allowed to tell people you're from the future? I mean, in all the movies I've seen, that's a giant taboo. Doesn't it mess up history or something? And how do they know you from all the other times you've come? Do you have to repeat the same actions you've done in the past or something?"

I laughed as I walked back over to you and ruffled your hair, "That wasn't one question, that was three. By the way, has anyone told you that you watch too many time-traveling movies? I know, you've forced Anna and me to watch a lot of them with you before… You shouldn't believe everything you see, you know."

You blushed and I smiled as I thought about it, then said, "Well… There _are_ some rules to time-travel, but telling others about it isn't one of them. In this time period, it's well known that there are time mages, as it's known that certain people have control over elements, so it's not all that unusual to come across someone who claims to be able to control time. Sure, it's rare that they actually can, but not impossible. As for your question about repeating my actions over and over, you'd have to ask Anna," I held up a finger to you, telling you to wait as I closed my eyes.

I reached to the back of my mind and imagined myself talking to Anna face to face, "_Hey Anna, I finished explaining you, so now it's your turn. You understand this better than I do, so can you explain the time related stuff?"_

Anna laughed and said, _"Okay… Isn't that strange though? How you understand more things about me than I do, and I understand more things about your power than you do?"_

I laughed too, back in the real world and pulling out the pendant again, _"But it all works out in the end."_

"You need Anna to explain your own powers?" You asked with a smirk and I laughed awkwardly.

"Yeah, something like that. She's better at paying attention to stuff like this and has studied it more than I have. I'm more interested in learning about people than how things work. If a kettle begins to whistle, I don't question why, I learn why the person who put the kettle on decided to boil water."

"To answer your question," Anna said, launching into a lecture, "There are two different types of history. The history one makes that impacts the whole world and the history one remembers with little to no impact. You can think about it as 'what you remember' versus 'what the world acknowledges'.

"Jackal and I travel through the world's history, bringing us back to a point in time everyone remembers. The people in this era remembers us because you never truly forget something, it simply remains inaccessible at certain points, and that memory becomes a part of your personal history - the history that makes little impact in the grand scheme of things. Unless we reverse their personal history, no matter what point we travel, they'll always know of us. Also, we don't have to repeat the same actions every time because they're so insignificant, even the brain doesn't remember it completely, as it makes no impact in their life.

"In short, for me to have to repeat an action over and over, it would have to be something that greatly impacts on the world _and_ one's personal history. For example, say if I were to kill Kojuro-kun, that would make a grave impact on Masamune-sama's life, and _that _I would have to repeat over and over because not only will _he_ remember it, but the world will acknowledge it as well, setting it into a stone cold fact. If word spread of Kojuro-kun's death, it would be well known around the land that I had killed him, and therefore I would be forever acknowledged as his killer. Understand?"

I looked over at you and your eyes were practically swirling as the information processed in your head. I laughed, "Time travel is a real elusive bitch to the mind, huh?"

You nodded and asked, "Do you have any rules to follow by or is time travel really so lenient?"

"The only rules I have are simple," I said this time, "One: never tell anyone how or when they die, two: how to win a certain battle, and three: never revive anyone from death or fatal wounds other than myself. Not that I even have control over that either. Why?" I asked myself, interrupting before you could ask, "Because unlike the fact that I can travel time, these are all major factors that could alter the world's history. Something as irrelevant as one time traveler means nothing in comparison to how people acknowledge how a significant figure of time dies."

"How do you know all this?"

I shrugged, "It's kind of like an instinct. I'm not sure how I know it, but I sense that if I break any of these rules… It can be dangerous…" I pulled myself behind Kojuro again and said, "Now _come on_ already, I'm dying for a nap."

* * *

After my nap, I felt totally relaxed and actually pretty damn cheerful.

Until I opened the box I keep in my room where I keep most of stuff, i.e, my Pocky.

"Masamuneeee!" I raged, storming through the manor angrily. "You son of a bitch, get your ass back here!"

I heard him laugh from somewhere farther away and I glared around me, looking for him. Kojuro and you both sat calmly at the table drinking tea and eating dango as easily as any other day. I cocked my gun and shot randomly into a bush but nothing happened. "Damn it…" I muttered. "Aughh!" I clawed through my hair agitatedly and shouted, "I swear to God, you damned pirate, next time I see you you're dead!"

Finally you sighed and asked, "Calm down Jackal-chan, it's only Pocky…"

I turned to glare at you and waved my gun around wildly saying, "Not just _any _Pocky, Princess, but _my_ Pocky, and that bastard ate it all!"

"Why don't you just buy some more? I mean, it's not that expensive at home and that's talking about after inflation occurred," you said rationally. You poured me some tea and I finally sat down with a sigh, putting my gun back in its holster at my waist and propping my cheek on my hand.

"Get real. Pocky hasn't even been invented yet." You cocked an eyebrow at me questioningly and I explained, "It didn't come out until about 1966, and we're currently in 1594, so there's no chance of buying it here. I always made sure just to stock up, but that ass hole got to it first." I hit my head on the table with a thump and moaned, "Auhh… Kojuro, how could you? You were supposed to protect my stuff for me."

I turned my face to look at him and he only shrugged and said simply, "You know he likes it just as much as you, Jackal, and nothing stays hidden from him for long."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "You're all jerks…" I mumbled.

"So tell me Jackal,"

You started and I interrupted, "Is this going to turn out to be another two-hour interrogation like earlier today?"

You laughed and said, "It depends on how well you answer my question."

"What if I don't want to answer?"

You shrugged, taking a stick of dango and eating it easily.

I sighed and nudged myself into Kojuro, leaning my forehead on his shoulder and hugging his arm saying, "Kojuro… She's threatening me and I don't understand it."

You laughed and he patted my head awkwardly, "Jackal-san…"

I glared at him, "Don't use that honorific with me, it's annoying."

"Sorry," he said with a shrug and I rolled my eyes.

"Alright Princess, shoot. What's on your mind now?" I let go of Kojuro to sit back in my place again and started drinking my tea carefully. Even after my raging at Masamune, I had only woken up from my nap a few minutes ago, so I was somewhat disoriented still but your next question woke me up almost completely.

"I was just wondering when you planned on going back home… You know... To the present," you said nervously and I thought for a second. "Do you… Plan on leaving soon?"

"Um… Well… This is the only chance I'd have to be free but…" I stumbled, searching for something to say, "Do you already miss home that much?" I asked as a sudden pang of guilt struck me.

Anna always makes me out as the bad guy… The wild one, the impatient one, the one who has no sense of right or wrong… Well, I guess in comparison to her, that might be all true, but then again, Anna's just Miss Goodie-Goodie reincarnated. Still, even I have a conscious, even if it isn't all that active.

Isn't it just my luck for it to start acting up now…

You nodded your head sadly and said, "Sorry Jackal... It's just that, as amazing as this all is, I can't really understand it and it makes me a little nervous…"

I sighed as I chewed my dango thoughtfully, then swallowed and said, "Well… I guess it _is_ my fault for bringing you here but… I have to give Anna's body a full 24 hours before we can travel a hundred years or more time span again so-"

"Sorry to interrupt Jackal," that stupid Masamune cut in. I aimed my gun at him and he raised his hands in surrender, sitting down next to you with a grunt, "But tonight was the last night of a full moon. There should be a new moon starting tomorrow."

"What?" I yelled, standing up abruptly, "Damn it, are you being serious?" he nodded his head and you looked between us in confusion. Augh, of all the times to be stranded!

"What does the moon have to do with this?" you asked and I sighed and sat back down, propping my cheek on my hand and chewing on an empty skewer agitatedly.

"Shit…" I muttered, the stick waving to and fro wildly as I ground my teeth.

"What?" you asked again, watching the skewer bob back and forth with an odd sense of fascination.

"There's another rule to this time traveling thing," I grumbled, the skewer pausing as I spoke, "Er… Well, it's not really a rule, but it's more like a 'do-or-face-harsh-consequences' kind of thing. I gather power from the moon, so it's almost impossible to travel over a century without a full one and if I tried, it may go unsuccessfully, and since there's two of us, one might end up in the present without a few body parts."

"And you've tried this?" you asked.

I laughed, "No, it's just another one of those instincts I have. The point is that I'm not strong enough by myself to travel time, and the Time Perception Circles needs a second element to work. I could probably take us a few years into the future from now when the moon shows itself again, but what good could that do? I can only do pretty minimal things when there's no moon, especially when I have to transport more people than myself."

You sighed and said, "So then… When do you expect we can travel back?"

"Er… Well if the new moon starts tomorrow I'd say… Three or so weeks from now?"

"What?" you cried, jumping in your seat. "Couldn't you just send me back to the present by myself?"

I winced and rubbed the back of my head, my hand brushing against my ponytail, "Er... Well... I guess I could, but what would happen if I stuck you in the wrong time? I might not be able to get enough power to send you to the same time exactly, and if you were stuck only three years from now, not only would it mess up the world's history completely, but your life could be in danger because you weren't originally born in that time." You looked away from me and I could feel the guilt crawl up my throat, "I'm really sorry Princess, but like I said, the power I need to travel over three centuries worth of time with another person can only be found during a full moon…

"But I promise," I said quickly, "As soon as it shows itself, I'll take you back home. I'll even erase your memory if you want me to, alright?"

"Erase my… Memory?" you repeated slowly.

I nodded my head and said simply, "Another cool little trick I can do. Remember Anna's lecture from before? The difference between personal history and world history? The only problem is that it's only temporary for most cases, so I usually have to do it multiple times until the memory is worn out and the brain forgets it entirely."

You sighed and took a stick of dango, eating it thoughtfully. I finally spit out the skewer I had brutally splintered and I asked, "So, since we're stuck, why don't we make this month worthwhile?"

"How?" you asked, curious again.

"We can study," I said. My eyes widened as the words flew from my mouth unintentionally and I clamped my hand over my mouth. _What did I just… say? _Suddenly I had this massive headache and I pressed my hand against my forehead. A ringing noise started echoing through my head and damn, did it hurt.

"What's wrong, Jackal?" you asked, by my side in a flash.

I ignored you and muttered, "Damn it Anna, cut it… Out! We already made a deal that I would have control for a while, so wait your damn turn!"

"_I'd like to remind you that it's __my__ body in the first place,_" she said back as she continued forcing her way out. "_And that it's __your__ fault we've brought her here against her will!"_

I scowled, "You can be such an overlord when you want to be, you know that?" We continued our mental fight for dominance and somehow I finally got an advantage. "Go to sleep," I muttered, forcing my energy to cut her off.

Finally her mental hold on me loosened and Anna 'went to sleep'. I shook my head and took a deep breath, clearing my head. "There," I said cheerfully to you, the only one who looked worried between Kojuro and Masamune. "Everything is okay."

You quirked an eyebrow at me questioningly and asked slowly, "A…Are you all right?"

I nodded, "Yeah, sorry if I scared you. Anna was getting somewhat impatient and wanted control."

"Oh?" you asked.

I laid my forehead on the table and said wearily, "It's a thing we have to do. Every time the other gets a little rowdy, we have to fight each other if you want to keep control. I ended up putting Anna to sleep though, luckily, so she shouldn't bother us for a while." Even though I had already taken a nap, I felt tired again...

"Put her to sleep?"

I turned my head to smile at you and said, "You ask too many questions."

You blushed as you went back to your seat and said, "S-sorry… I'm just curious is all."

I laughed, then explained, "Well, I didn't 'put her to sleep' literally, I just made it so that she's been cut off from our senses and will be unable to do anything." I stretched and looked outside, "But speaking of doing things… Hey Masamune, when are you planning your next campaign?"

He looked up from the dango he was eating and answered, "Ah… About three or four days from now. Why?"

"Great," I grinned and said, "Since Anna wants you to study, I'll have you study the rules of warfare. You're going to become a real battle machine, Princess, and then we can totally have a party on the battlefield together."

You gulped and said, "Why do I get a bad feeling about this?"

* * *

A/N: Phew... I got a bit more explained in this chapter, but sadly, it was at the cost of your personality. I made you seem somewhat nosy in this chapter, huh?

Well I needed to answer some questions and explain more stuff... sigh... I'll redeem your character somehow by making you totally bad ass in the next chapter. ... Or something, lol. :D

I always keep notes when I'm writing for fanfiction to keep stuff straight (because I literally just sit down at the computer and type whatever random shit comes to mind, then posting it) and I have to say, my notes are pretty messed up for this story.

I had a lot of trouble keeping the events straight for 'Anna's story' and I kept stumbling when I edited it all. Ghherrrr... Time travel is so confusing. T_T My brainz hurts now. And I suddenly feel unclean because I feel like a mary-sue or something. This hurts me deeply... I must make myself look lame soon.

Anyways, thanks for reading, I hope you continue, and see you next chapter. What will happen next?

- Jackal

(Don't touch my Pocky, or I'll kill you.)


	4. Chapter Four: Anna

**Chapter Four: Anna**

"_Why?" I whispered, gripping the blood soaked dirt tightly. "Why, why, why?" I pounded a fist into the ground angrily and rested my forehead on it as the rain poured down. My katana lay beside me with its tip stained with my blood. It was a direct thrust into the chest, so why didn't it kill me? I just don't understand... Why?_

"_Haven't you given up already?" asked a voice irritably. I looked up as the apparition of the 'other me' formed before me. "I already told you there's nothing you can do to beat that Perception Circle on your back, so just give up already-"_

_I scowled and shouted, "Shut up, it's all your fault, all of this!" I stood up abruptly and grabbed the collar of her coat. Although she's nothing more than a ghost to other people, she's all too tangible to me. The other me flinched and I grit my teeth. "You… You… You!" I shouted._

_"You've taken everything from me! I can't age. I can't die. … I can't even lethally wound myself." I looked away and whispered, "I'm… A monster. And you… It's all your fault."_

"_Monster?" she asked curiously. I looked back up at her as she smirked, "You know, I really can't understand why you're so unhappy about this. I mean, any other person would feel blessed at having a near immortal life."_

_I scowled, "'Near immortal'?" I questioned, "And what do you mean by that?"_

_She shrugged easily and said, "Even though I don't remember so well, I know I had this power when I was alive too, but obviously I died at some point or else I wouldn't be here like this. At least, I think…"_

_She looked away and I finally let go of her, sinking to the ground. I pulled my knees to my chin and hugged them, hiding my eyes with my forearms and the only sound between us was the rain falling._

_Finally she said quietly, "You know… It's okay… To hate me."_

"_Hate you?" I asked wearily, not looking up. "Why would I hate you? You've been with me for over twelve years now, so you should know that's not a part of my personality better than anyone. I don't 'hate' people. I can't."_

_She laughed, "I suppose you're right, but… Even you can be pushed over the edge, right? Besides, I don't remember ever being liked when I was alive, so it's not like it would bother me."_

_I smiled thinly, "Hmph… It must have been a lonely existence then."_

"_I suppose so," she said again nonchalantly. The rain was thinning out and I could feel it slowing down, the drops now gentler than before. We were silent again until she broke in, "Hey… Why don't we work together then?"_

_I looked up at her questioningly and repeated slowly, "Work… Together?"_

_She nodded with a grin and replied, "Yeah, since you and me are stuck together, we should figure out how to undo this. You know, it isn't any more fun being trapped inside someone else's body than it is having someone trapped in your body. … What do you say?" she held her hand out to me and smiled brightly and I looked at it._

"_But… I don't even know your name," I said slowly. The other me blinked a few times in confusion and then retracted her hand to scratch the back of her head._

"_Oh… That's right, hm… I guess I haven't told you yet." She looked away as she thought hard about her name. "My name…" she said slowly. "My name… What is my name?..."_

"_You don't remember?" I asked, curious again._

_She laughed nervously and said, "No, weird, huh? Well, since I don't remember my real name, what do you suggest I should be called?"_

"_You can't even remember your own name…" I said quietly, "It must be very lonely to be you…"_

_She shrugged, "Maybe."_

_I looked back at her and our eyes held each other. I cringed inwardly. Everything about her was the same as me, from her nose, to her lips, to her ears… She even had her cartilage pierced on the top in her right ear, just like me… Her hair was tied up just like how she always ties it when she gains control over me, and it's like looking into a mirror. Though no matter how she visualized herself, nothing could change the look in her, my, brown eyes._

_They glittered mischievously and I felt like they were showing me something desolate, something not all too truthful about how it felt and something that screamed abandonment. Like an animal left to die on its own… Finally it came to me. "Jackal." I said slowly, "Your name… Should be Jackal."_

"_Jackal?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow up questioningly, "Why that?"_

"_Jackals are used to illustrate loneliness and abandonment… And for someone who can't even remember her own name, I imagine that's how you would feel, even though not consciously."_

_She snorted and said, "Seriously, I already told you I'm not lonely but…" she grinned, "Fine, then let's start over." She removed her hand from the back of her head and stood still for a few moments. Then she opened her eyes, grinned, and held out her hand to me again, "The name is Jackal and I'm a Time Perception Witch, or at least, so I've been told. Nice to meet you, Partner."_

_I smiled, "Jackal… My name is Anna. Nice to meet you too." I reached out my hand and they held each other. She pulled me up from my sitting position and smiled, eyes glinting again._

_Without letting go of my hand she looked up with a sigh and said, "Ah, look! The rain finally stopped, and the moon is full… Isn't it perfect?"_

_I looked up with her and smiled again, our hands still holding each other, "Yes… It's lovely… Jackal."_

* * *

A/N: Geh, sorry this chapter is so short. -_-

I'm three weeks into the school year now, so I have a lot less time to write and as I've said a lot of times (I think) my ideas are really waned out. I have some really good ones to use, but I'm not sure how to get to them.

It'll come eventually I suppose.

- Jackal

(Wake up soon Anna, so you can rejoin the plot because I can't do this for every other chapter!)


	5. Chapter Five: Jackal

**Chapter Five: Jackal**

"Alright, so the first thing we need to do is find out your element type," I told you, laying down several weapons and spreading them out on the ground in front of you. I rotated my shoulders a few times to relax and you studied each weapon carefully with an odd expression.

I had a growing assortment of guns, knives, and swords at Date manor and hidden all over Sengoku Japan. I usually bring a new one of either of these from our time period, but I almost never use them. Unfortunately the whole "future" weaponry thing made it difficult to actually use in this time period because if I used my more advanced guns too often, one of the soldiers may get ideas and become the premature inventor of a weapon that wasn't made for this time period. … In short, I was limited to Anna's katana and my pistols but I keep bringing new guns from the present anyways. Where else was I supposed to shoot them?

Anyways, I've always stuck to a pair of magnums and Anna always uses a katana. Her favorite was the black steeled one and she had tied a red ribbon around the sheath with bells on the end so it made a pleasant tinkling noise whenever she moved. I brushed my hand over it gently. She only used this sword for special battles and the one at my waist was only her second favorite.

"Find my… Element type?" You asked slowly. You picked up a small knife curiously.

"Yup," I smiled as I picked up one of my Tec-9's. So that's where it was… I've been looking for it for a while now. Anna's favorite weapon may be her katana, but mine are my machine pistols. More specifically the Tec-9s. But what happened to the other one? I usually keep these at my hips but because it's such an advanced weapon, I can't really use them unless I'm desperate. Even more unfortunate than that is the fact that I'm almost never desperate or in need enough. Although, there was that one time…

"I _have _an element type?" you asked dubiously and I nodded again, starting to search for the twin. Come on man, where the hell could it have gone?

"Is it that hard to believe?" I asked distractedly. Ah, there it is~ I spotted my other gun under a pile of knives and hummed a little tune happily as I shoved both machine pistols into the holsters at my hips.

"Well… Yeah," you said, crossing your arms. "I mean, how many people do you know from our time can set an instant fire with their bare hands?" you wiggled your fingers wildly to mimic shooting mystical power and I laughed.

"_Anyways_," I said, ignoring your sarcasm, "Everyone in the world has an element type at birth; it's just a matter of tapping into it that most people have problems with. Ever since the end of the Sengoku Period people started losing the need to use their power- it being a time of peace and recollection from that point on. Eventually, people forgot about it almost entirely."

"So how do we find this out?" you asked with a resigned sigh. It seemed that you were finally beginning to catch on, to just accept what was going on and go with the flow.

"Hm… Now that's the hard part," I said, rubbing my chin thoughtfully and looking up. "Usually, people's personalities end up aligning with their element type but from what I know about you it's kind of difficult for me to tell. Your personality likes to swing around a lot, so I'll keep an eye for it later but for now we should just start with basic front-on fighting."

I leaned down to pick up a katana and ran a thumb over the blade thoughtfully as you muttered, "I'm not sure whether that was a compliment or an insult."

I laughed and said, "Neither really, but it'll keep things interesting." I tossed the katana to you and you caught it clumsily, almost dropping it. "We'll start light with this and work on up. In the worst case scenario, I'll lend you a gun and you'll fight behind me. It doesn't take much to pull a trigger."

"You consider this _light_?" you asked, weighing it in both hands. Your eyes were wide and then you looked at me accusingly, "And who said I wanted to fight at all? I'm already stuck in this time period that I know nothing about, shouldn't' I decide what I want to do?"

I laughed, "Well, no one, but it'll add to your experience. Besides, what else are you going to do for an entire month? Sit around and twiddle your thumbs? I don't think so, I'm not going to let that happen, it's too boring, but there is one more thing that I want to address before we get started."

"Hm?" you looked at me suspiciously and I grinned.

"From this point on you'll address me only as 'Jackal', got that?"

You nodded, "Fine."

My grin widened as I drew Anna's katana. The bells wrapped around the sheath jingled and I said, "Then let's get started, shall we?"

* * *

"Haaa!" you sighed in relief as you slid down all the way into the hot water quickly. It was night now and you stretched your sore muscles and asked, "Who knew a simple bath could be so relaxing?"

I laughed as I slid in across from you and said, "Rough day, huh?"

You glared at me and said, "No thanks to you. Honestly Jackal, you have no mercy for the weak."

I stuck my tongue out at you playfully and said, "Hey now, that's no fair. You're underestimating yourself." You quirked an eyebrow at me and I laughed again, swimming over to you and pinching your cheeks, stretching them as I said, "Why does it seem like every time I say something nice about you, you take it as a joke?"

You wrinkled your nose and freed yourself from my grip with sigh saying, "Sorry Jackal, but you just don't seem like the free-compliments-all-around kind of person."

I shrugged and said, "True, but you should probably stop doubting yourself. You're a lot stronger than you think… Besides, if I had gone any easier on you, you would have complained that I wasn't taking you seriously."

You laughed, "Well, maybe."

"Ah-ha!" I exclaimed, splashing you. You splashed me back with an eye roll and then leaned back. You sunk even lower under the water and stared at the night sky intently as I pulled my hair out of its usual ponytail and shook it out, brushing my fingers through it.

I've been meaning to cut it short for a while now, but Anna would kill me if I did so without her permission, and I already know for sure that I don't have it. I usually don't.

I was patting some water on it to flatten it when you said, "Hey Jackal."

"Yeah?"

"Are you the only time traveler in the world?"

I laughed and said, "No, of course not. Why do you ask?"

"There are more?" you asked in surprise, jolting to sit up straight.

I nodded, "Well of course there are. I mean, I already told you time traveling isn't all that rare and it isn't impossible to learn, even if you aren't born with it."

"Really?"

I nodded, "I'll teach you some basic Perception circles at some point, but we still have to learn your element first."

"Hm…" you looked away thoughtfully and then asked, "So how many of you are there?"

"Ehh… Let's see…" I looked up at the night sky again as I thought. "Well, I mean, the first thing you have to understand is that every 'time traveler', as you call us, has a host. Like Anna, for example, she's my host."

"Why?"

I shrugged, "I have no idea. Crow told me it was kind of like a general law between us time travelers, but anyways, let me think about this…"

I closed my eyes and started to think. "There's Saki and her host Aria, they usually hang around with Itsuki of the North's army; Akira and his host Minaii usually hang with Mouri Motonari," I pulled my hand out of the water to keep track of us and then continued, "Gin and Lunelle are with Oda Nobunaga, Crow and Arisa are partners with Kougran and Ayano, and they're with Takeda Shingen…

"And then there's me and Anna," I grinned, pointing my thumb at myself, "And we're usually with Date Masamune, obviously. There are probably some others in Japan, but they're most likely freelance. I can't really say how many there are of us total, but these are the six I know of."

"So you're all friends?" you asked and I snorted.

"Friends?" I leaned back into the water and said, "I suppose you could call us that, after all, we tell that to each other all the time but in reality we all hate each other's guts.

"Time mages are kind of fickle about working together with anyone, including their hosts as we're usually all opposite in personalities and none of us mix well when we're added to other time mages (except for maybe Kougran and Ayano… They're a… Special case, I guess), but we've all promised to stay on neutral terms."

"I see…" you said quietly. "But… Are all the 'hosts' female?"

"Yeeah…?" I said slowly, almost as if it were a question. "Why do you ask?"

You shrugged, "It just seemed odd that all the names you just gave sound feminine… That's all." You rubbed a hand over your arms thoughtfully and I nodded. I guess you had a point but talking about all those other bastard time-mages got me thinking… It's been awhile since I've seen any of them, and I'm actually surprised Kougran wasn't the first to greet us when we first arrived here.

Stupid guy is always challenging me, though I suppose he'd be with the Tiger of Kai anyways. We'll probably pay him and Crow a visit sometime soon.

I glanced over at you, a small wave of jealousy washing over me as I glanced at your more than plentiful chest. It's so unfair that girls like you got more cleavage! It's one thing I wished Anna had more of…

I sighed woefully at this thought when you suddenly looked up and said quietly, "Jackal…"

"Mm?..." I asked, leaning into the water and closing my eyes.

"Did you know that every star in the sky is a wish?"

I blinked at you a few times in the confusion but you didn't turn your gaze away. I said slowly, "Oh?"

You nodded and smiled, "Yup. You get one wish every day but only a few are ever granted… The ones that are become stars."

I laughed, "Well that's cool."

"And you know what I wished for tonight?"

"What?"

Your smile softened and you looked at me now, "I was thinking about how you said you don't remember your real name… How lonely you must have felt before you could speak to Anna-chan… And my wish tonight was for you. I wished that you'd find your memories and be happy again. That you won't be lonely."

I blinked a few times. You say some pretty weird things sometimes. But… Your words struck me. Did I really seem that depressing?

Did it really seem like I was lonely? I never felt like it, really, it doesn't bother me that I don't know much about myself. I have what I know from talking to Crow and I'm slowly but surely weeding out information from the other time-mages… But… I shook my head and finally laughed.

With a sigh I smiled and said, "You shouldn't waste a wish on something like _that _for me_._ I mean, if you really want to sacrifice a wish for me, you should wish on something like bigger boobs for me, Anna's as flat as a board! You lucky thing you"

You stared at me and I grinned, tackling you and groping your chest. "See! My wish for tonight is to have a chest like yours!"

Your cheeks turned beet red as you tried squirming away, squealing and shouting, "Jackal, cut it out!"

"Not until you give me a cleavage like yours!" We wrestled around in the water playfully and I joked around.

That's when I decided that I'd get you back home safely. No matter what, I'd protect you. No matter what, there would be absolutely no problem in getting you home. And no matter what, no one would have to sacrifice anything to protect the weakling known as Jackal.

"Jackal."

"_What_?" I asked irritably, turning to face the One-Eyed Dragon as he approached me and continued I toweling my hair dry. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

He rolled his eye as he crossed his arms and asked, "Doing what?"

I shrugged as I continued rubbing the towel over my wet hair. I had finally emerged from the bath house and you had already gone to your own room ages ago. I had taken my time getting dressed because I knew that stupid one-eyed snake would start interrogating me as soon as you were out of earshot.

As great and as close as we are, he still doesn't trust me. Not that I want his trust, but seriously, the guy could give me a break. I'm not nearly as bad as the other time-mages, who you'd have to practically keep at gun point to keep under control.

He rolled his eye again and prompted, "Doing what?"

I sighed, "Avoiding you." I tried pushing past him but he blocked my way.

I slid right. He slid back in front of me.

I slid left. He stood right.

I feigned right and pushed forward but he suddenly caught me and gripped my shoulders. He stared into my eyes and said seriously, "_Jackal_, I just want to know what you're up to."

I glared right back and tried shaking him off but unfortunately, he being bigger and stronger than me, I knew I had no chance of escape. So instead of struggling more than necessary and reminding his more than enough inflated, male ego I huffed and said, "I already told you. I'm _not _up to anything. No tricks up my sleeves, see?" I held up my arms as high as they could go so he could see into my sleeves and waved them slightly, as if shaking something out.

He shook his head, unconvinced and still gripping my shoulders somewhat hostilely. "That can't be true Jackal, I _know _you. You never do anything unless you get something in return. There's always a price. You want something from that girl and I want to know what."

I smirked. Man, that boy is good, I had to give him that. It's true. I don't do anything unless I get something in return and I'm actually not surprised that he took notice. I sighed mockingly and said sarcastically, playing along, "Gosh, you're good… I can't _believe_ you _caught _me. I mean, of _course _I'm only using her for my own gain. What _else_ would I do with her?"

He scowled and asked, "And what would you gain by bringing an innocent girl to such a bloody time like this?"

I smiled sweetly and said, "My freedom."

He looked at me in confusion now and I was finally able to shake him off. I brushed past him delicately and said to his back, "I'm curious though. Why are you so interested in her safety? You've only known her for a few hours now and that's hardly enough time for any romantic or sentimental feelings to spring up, even for a master charmer such as yourself." I turned to look at him from the corner of my eye, and said quietly, "You know, I don't truly believe you to be as bad a letch as you may think I do. You're more honorable than that… So why-"

"I just don't want to see sweet girls get hurt." He said simply. "I just don't want this to turn out like Dane had been."

I stiffened. It was my turn to be stunned. That was a low blow, one I hadn't expected. Dane… It had been a long time since we had ever mentioned him. "Dane had been a mistake," I said hotly. "One I won't make again, so you don't need to worry. You aren't her mother. You don't have to worry!"

"Don't I?" the one-eyed general turned his head slightly to look at me through the corner of his eye. He started padding away then and said finally, "Just be careful Jackal. It makes no difference to me what you do because it isn't the girl I'm truly worried about, it's Anna-chan. And I don't want to see her hurt again because of _your _careless mistakes. **_You see_**?"

"Like you're one to talk," I shot back but he only smirked and started walking away.

"Yes, but unlike you, _I _actually have a right to the body I'm in." He snickered as his footsteps started fading away, his final word being "You forget who's in whose body."

I grit my teeth. That bastard sure had a way to make my blood boil.


End file.
